July is a month dedicated to solving the problem of plastic pollution worldwide by a global movement of Plastic Free July. Those who join the campaign undertake a challenge to refuse single-use plastics for a month and beyond. The movement has inspired over 250 million participants in 177 countries1, encouraging them to introduce changes not only in their personal lives but also at work, school, events, etc. The idea is to get people started by making even small steps, like choosing one object of everyday use at a time and replacing it with a reusable alternative. For most people in Greece such an object is a coffee cup.
When I arrived in Athens, I was a bit shocked at the amount of disposable plastic people use here on a daily basis. Freddo espresso/cappuccino (cold coffee) in a plastic cup became for me an indispensable element of a Greek, like an extension of a hand supplying the body with cooling energy (even in winter!). It might not seem realistic for an average Greek person addicted to caffeine to go plastic free, even though it is quite easy: you could just choose to sit at a cafe and get a real cup or bring your own reusable one if you’re in a hurry. According to GreenPeace Greece, over 1 million plastic cups are served daily in Athens and probably as many straws and that’s just for coffees!2 Only a small percentage of these cups are recycled. The rest ends up in landfills and oceans, harming ecosystems for decades.
To deal with the challenge, several initiatives have been started in the recent years in Greece. Plastic Free Drinks is a campaign aimed at reducing single-use plastic in Greek communities. They work together with cafes, restaurants and hotels and help them find alternatives to plastic, as well as encourage individuals to change the way they drink. By going to their website, one can choose how they want to participate in the campaign and pledge to promote the reduction in the consumption of disposable plastic straws and cups as a business or to reduce one’s use of plastic straws & cups as an individual. There is also a list of places participating which have implemented steps towards reducing their single plastic use and often offer a discount for customers bringing their own cups/containers for take-aways. In My Cup is another initiative started by Greenpeace volunteers around Greece. They encouraged cafes to give discounts to everyone getting their coffee in a reusable cup. The campaign’s website offers a map with participating cafes around Greece3.
There has also been progress on the government level, with a plan to ban disposable plastics as of July1, 2021. The change will be introduced to the public administration sector six months before it goes public on January 1 to allow businesses and the public ample time to adjust. According to the Environment & Energy Minister of Greece Kostis Hatzidakis, consumers will be provided with more incentives to encourage recycling of plastic single-use bottles, including a refund4. Of course, providing a legislative ground for ending the use of disposable plastic is an immense step. However, it is still going to happen only in a year. Meanwhile, the change is necessary now in spreading awareness across the communities of Greece and encouraging citizens to gradually start choosing alternatives and transforming their daily habits.
That’s where campaigns like Plastic Free July come in handy. Even though the challenge seems to last only for a month, it contributes to forming habits that last far beyond this month. By starting small from refusing single-use coffee cups, you will move on to the next habit, like finding plastic-free alternatives when buying fruit & veggies, bringing your own reusable shopping bag and water bottle instead of buying plastic ones, and so many more. Challenging yourself in such ways adds to a bigger goal – refusing to consume without thinking, which is vital for a common sustainable future.
1 https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/
2 http://liveplasticfreenow.org/
3 http://www.stopotirimou.gr/english.html
4 https://greekcitytimes.com/2020/05/31/greece-to-ban-single-use-plastics-as-of-july-2021/
Article written by the IRTEA’s European Solidarity Corps volunteers – Project “Volunteers United in Diversity”
